In a small Malian town, a married couple is in the midst of dissolving their union. In the courtyard of the home they share with several other families, a trial is unfolding: the IMF`s culpability in putting Africa in the disadvantaged state it`s in is being determined. While these two unconnected events unfold, life in the village goes on as normal: people eat, work, wash, argue, love and sleep. The subjects of the impact of globalization, the role of the World Bank and the IMF, and geopolitics are made crystal clear in Abderrahmane Sissako`s refreshingly lucid look at contemporary Africa. Even without a traditional narrative structure and loaded with statistics, Sissako`s film keeps things entertaining - educating viewers in the process.